On the first day of Advent at around noon, I received the following text from my sister, Kallen:
First of all, I assume "dang swipe" is Midwestern for "f***in' auto-correct." And there are no Pumas in her Manger, though suede Pumas make an awesome gift. No she was alerting me to the annual ritual of placing the Pig in the Manger.
Actually, it's not a Manger, per se. It's a Crèche, because I got it for her in France as a wedding present back in 1984. It's much classier than a Manger. It's so classy, it's got a pig --a dang pig.
For 28 years now, the pig has been a constant source of conversation. Mostly these conversations consist of someone declaring "A pig? In a Manger?" Why I never!" It is widely assumed that a proper Manger consists of the following: the Christ child, Mary, Joseph, 3 Magi, 2 shepherds, a donkey, a camel, and a few sheep. If you're lucky, you might get a cow and an angel with a trumpet.
But any other additions raise eyebrows. It is generally assumed, even to this day to some, that I chose a pig to be cheeky. Granted when I go over to her house on Christmas Eve, I never pass up the chance to place the pig on the roof of the Crèche. This is too much. Pigs cannot be angels. This probably is the source of the common adynaton, "When pigs fly."
A pig throws off the carefully balanced Nativity scene Christendom has grown used to over the centuries. "Scene" is the operative word. To some a pig in the Manger is akin to watching "Glengarry Glen Ross" and hearing Alec Baldwin say, "Second prize is a pair of Isotoner gloves."
A more logical objection to the pig was offered by my sister's husband, the Reverend Larry: "They're Jews. Why would they have pigs?" It took me a while to get past this one. Then I figured, it's a Nativity scene, not a Civil War re-enactment of Antietam; there are no point awarded for accuracy. In fact, most scholars believe the Manger was actually a cistern hewn into rock. But who wants a cistern under their tree?
My answer to the pig issue is that this holy birth was such a big freakin' deal that folks came from all over to bear witness. Take your Magi; they came all the way from the East --wherever that was. It is widely assumed that pigs are very intelligent. Our culture is full of smart pigs, from Wilbur to Arnold to Babe. Surely a reasonably intelligent pig could figure out how to follow a bright star.
By the way, my other sister, Erin, has a giraffe in her Manger.
